


Oh my stars

by agntsanvers



Series: Oblivious Idiots [1]
Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Pining, but also good things happen, mentions of Zason, supportive friendships, trini being a tragic gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-04 16:52:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12172932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agntsanvers/pseuds/agntsanvers
Summary: Trini knows that twenty years down the line she’s still going to be ruined for Kim.It terrifies her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Look who's writing again it's me and I'm back with some angst and soft gay Trini
> 
> and I apologize in advance for the spanish...google translate is my bestie even tho it's dumb

Trini loves Kim. At this point, it’s pretty pointless to deny it. She’d do anything for Kim. Anything. She’d be silent about her feelings, be her fucking maid-of-honor, if it just meant that Kim would stay in her life.

When she was close with her dad, back before she came out and before family conversations turned into interrogations, he used to tell her about how he met her mother. The first time he saw her, he would say, he knew that they’d be together. It used to make Trini laugh, back when she was young and confident that she’d find the same thing her parents have.

Her father’s still head over heels for her mother, twenty years later.

“When you know, you know, _mija,”_ her father claimed. “I know it’s ridiculous, but sometimes your heart just goes, ‘that’s the one’ and you have no choice but to follow it.”

Trini knows that twenty years down the line she’s still going to be _ruined_ for Kim.

It terrifies her.

* * *

 

She tries not to watch. Tries not to torture herself. She can’t help it, though. Her eyes are drawn to Kim no matter what.

Trini watches Kim talk to some guy at her locker. She smiles, brushes her hair out of her face, _blushes._ All at that stupid guy.

Trini’s pretty sure Kim’s told her about him. She shuts down when Kim talks about people who catch her interest, though, her vision goes blurry and her ears feel like they’ve been stuffed with cotton. She wonders if she’s missed anything important by her inability to listen.

The boy, Chad, Trini decides to call him, has been hanging around Kim all week. It’s only Wednesday and Trini’s already ready to punch Chad in the face for monopolizing Kim’s time.

They hadn’t even been able to go to Krispy Kreme like they normally do on Wednesdays.

That was more on Trini. _Chad_ had been at Kim’s locker when Trini went to pick her up, and Trini had just left. Kim texted her about it later, Trini remembers giving some weak excuse about a headache. Kim had dropped it.

Rangers don’t get headaches.

Now she’s stuck watching Kim flirt. Kim reaches out, rests her hand on Chad’s broad chest. Trini slams her locker shut and disappears down the hall.

She avoids Kim’s searching looks and notes in bio, letting the quick moving projectiles sail past her or brushing them off her desk as she focuses on her worksheet. She finished the worksheet in the first five minutes of class. She just can’t bring herself to look up.

* * *

 

Zack keeps telling Trini that she should just go for it, that she should tell Kim how she feels. Trini consistently ignores that advice, thinking about the way Kim smiles and blushes at Chad. (She’s since learned that Chad’s name is actually Stephen and that he’s on the hockey team, but she chooses to ignore that information. Chad’s a better name for a meathead like him anyways, she thinks bitterly.)

They’re hanging out at the abandoned train car one night when Zack brings it up. “I saw Kim and Stephen at lunch today,” he starts.

That’s another thing. In the past few weeks, Kim’s stopped sitting with the other Rangers at lunch, choosing instead to sit with Chad and his friends. The rest of them have gotten very good at pretending that there’s not a Kim shaped hole at the table.

“That’s not surprising,” Trini mutters.

Zack sounds a bit lost when he says, “Why won’t she sit with us?”

“I don’t know, man,” Trini replies, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“Are we - are we not good enough or something? I mean, come _on,”_ Zack’s replaced confusion and hurt with anger. “We’re the fucking Power Rangers! We’re a _team._ She should - we should be sitting together.”

He doesn’t hold onto the anger for long, his insecurities about being left, his _terror_ over the team falling apart getting the best of him. Trini grabs his hand.

“She probably thinks it’s fine since Billy spends Wednesdays with his other friends,” Trini defends. She’s not sure why she’s defending Kim (she knows why) because she’s just as hurt as Zack is.

“Yeah, but that’s Billy. He’s the only one who has other friends and he doesn’t ditch us any chance he gets.”

“I don’t know, bro. Just let it go.”

“You need to talk to your girl. Tell her how you feel so she’ll stop avoiding us.”

“I’m not doing that and she’s not my girl. And I don’t think me telling her will _stop_ her from avoiding us.”

He scoffs. “Yeah, right. She’s totally-”

“No, Zack. She’s not mine. I don’t have any claim to her. She doesn’t know my feelings, and even if she did it isn’t like she’d reciprocate them. It’s enough that we’re friends. We’re all just going to have to adjust to Kim having a boyfriend.”

“Come on, Trini. You can’t be okay with this.”

Trini almost laughs, but she’s scared that if she makes a sound all that will come out will be a sob. She shakes her head, chases away the feeling rising in her throat.

“Is that what you think? _Mierda_ , you think I’m _okay_ with this? That I’m fine seeing her walk around with that bastard hanging all over her? I’m not okay with it! I’m - God, Zack - I’m in love with her.”

It’s the first time she’s said it out loud.

Trini loses steam, slumping into Zack’s arms and clutching his hand tighter. “I’m so in love with her,” she whispers. “I’m in love with her and, honestly, as long as she’s happy, I can deal with whatever else I’m feeling. As long as she’s happy.”

Zack strokes his free hand through Trini’s hair. “I’m sorry for pushing, Crazy Girl. I got caught up in my own shit and pushed too far. It’s just - you know you deserve to be happy too, right?”

Trini pulls away and wipes at her eyes. “I will be, Zack. Don’t worry. I just have to get over her.”

She jumps from the train car and walks away, feeling Zack’s stare as she goes. They both know she isn’t going to get over Kim.

* * *

 

“You’re in love with Kimberly.”

Trini usually appreciates Billy’s bluntness. She appreciates that he doesn’t talk around a problem. She finds herself wishing Billy would talk around this specific problem.

“What are you talking about?”

Billy looks up at her from his tinkering, brow furrowed in confusion. “Kimberly. Kimberly Hart. Our friend.”

“Yes, Billy, I know which Kim you’re talking about. I just - I’m not in love with her.”

“Yes you are,” he starts counting on his fingers. “You let her braid your hair and you buy her Krispy Kreme whenever she wants even though you hate that place and you let her wear your hoodies and she lends you hers and she makes you _smile_ and - “

Trini groans. “Fine. So I might be a little into her.”

Trini watches as Billy raises an eyebrow at her. _He’s gotta stop hanging out with Zack._ “Alright. So I’m a lot into her. What’s your point?”

“Why don’t you ask her out?”

She loves her idiot boys, she really does, but why don’t they understand that she can’t just walk up to Kim and confess her feelings?

“I can’t do that Billy. She’s dating Chad.”

“Chad? I thought she was hanging out with that Stephen guy.”

“Sorry, Billy. I call Stephen Chad.”

He puzzles over that for a minute. “Is this like the kids calling me Billy Crams-ton?”

“Kind of, Billy, but it’s different.”

“How?”

“Just take my word for it, buddy.”

* * *

 

Jason climbs through her window one night. She had been more ornery than usual, but she didn’t think her behavior warranted a visit from their fearless leader. She doesn’t acknowledge him at first, keeping her head down and focused on her English paper. Ignores the fact that she can feel his concern, his _pity,_ through their link. That he can definitely feel _her_ distress through it.

“What’s going on, Big T?” He barely uses the nickname, born out of a night when the two of them got into a drunken boulder throwing competition. His voice is pitched low, washes over her like one of his solid hugs.

Her hand clenches, snapping her pencil clean in two and sending shards of plastic and lead flying. “Nothing.”

She listens as he moves through her bedroom, hears the creak of her old box spring as he sits on her bed.

“What are you working on?” He asks, and she has to think for a second cause that was definitely not what she expected him to say.

“English. Thompson gave out an essay on Orwell and I kind of hate it.”

“Oh shit, I remember that. It’s on _Animal Farm,_ right?”

Sometimes Trini forgets Jason’s in the grade above her. She’s seen him cry over Lilo and Stitch (not that he’d admit it) and had to stop him from eating weird shit Zack handed him, as though he were one of her little brothers. He _is_ one of her brothers.

“Yeah, the whole message in the book is good, but Thompson’s fucking prompt is bullshit.”

“It isn’t the greatest, but Thompson grades easy on it ‘cause he knows it sucks.”

“That’s good to know. I’ve written a paragraph so far and it’s shit, so nice to know I won’t fail the assignment entirely.”

They lapse back into silence, Trini picking up a new pencil and Jason settling back on her bed. His steady breathing paired with the sudden burst of inspiration she feels from Billy has her speeding through the next section of her essay.

Their phones buzz over the hum of her air conditioner. “Billy built another bomb,” Jason says dryly after he opens the message.

“I thought I felt him get weirdly happy.”

Trini looks back to her paper, the words starting to merge together. She gets up from her desk and walks to her bed, crawling in next to Jason. “It hurts, Jace,” she whispers.

He rolls closer, wrapping an arm around her. “I know it does, T. I know.”

“Do you think she can feel it?”

“You’re the most in tune with the bond, T, you know that. The rest of us just get general impressions.”

“What do you feel when I’m close to her?”

“Happiness? Maybe contentment if I focus real hard,” he takes a deep breath. “Lately you’ve been angry.”

The past few weeks flash through her head, seeing Chad and Kim in the halls, avoiding Kim’s concerned gaze, doing everything in her power to push away her feelings. Losing her best friend.

“Not angry,” she says, resting her head on his chest. “Not at her.”

She’s horrified to feel his shirt getting wet under her face. She hadn’t even realized she was crying. Jason just holds her tighter when she goes to pull away. “Let it out, Big T. I’ve got you.”

She can’t do anything but trust him.

“When I was a sophomore I was head over heels for a girl in my math class,” his voice startles her, but she doesn’t move. “I thought we would be perfect together. We were paired up in class. She was in the marching band, and I got to see her every game. She was _amazing._ But then she started dating another dude in our class. And _fuck_ it hurt. I was so angry. Like, not at her? I was just _angry._ It was like she took my heart and crushed it, but I couldn’t be mad at her. ‘Cause she didn’t know, you know? Like, I never told her how I felt.

“And I know that’s not exactly what’s going on with you and Kim. I got over her,” Trini feels Jason’s happiness in the back of her head, knows he’s thinking about Zack. “But like, I kinda know what you’re going through. And I’m here. If you ever need to talk.”

Trini realizes that sometimes, _I’m here_ is enough.

* * *

 

Trini has the worst luck. She had been sent to go find Kimberly when she was late for training for the third day in a row. She figures it’s some misguided plot the boys cooked up to get her to actually talk to Kim.

She doesn’t think they saw it ending up like _this._

This being Trini walking into Kim’s room to find Kim and Chad together. Kissing.

Trini left pretty quickly after that. She’s not even sure if Kim even noticed she was there.

She tells the boys Kim was busy and ignores all their questions about what exactly Kim had been busy with.

Kim corners her a few days after she sees her and Chad. “You’ve been avoiding me,” she accuses.

“No, I haven’t,” Trini says. “I’ve seen you every day this week.”

“Yeah, at bio or for training. We haven’t hung out in forever. We haven’t had our weekly coffee da-runs in like three weeks.

 _And whose fault is that,_ Trini can’t help but think.

“I’ve been,” _moping, avoiding, crying into Jason’s shirt_ “busy,” she says instead.

“Jason said he saw you yesterday, and it seems like you have plenty of time to hang out with Zack.”

 _Snitch._ “I needed Jason’s help with something and you know what Zack’s like.”

“You could have come to me.”

“No, I couldn’t have, Kim,” Trini all but yells. She’s just so _tired._ “You can’t fucking fix all my problems! And did it ever cross your mind that maybe you’re the fucking reason we haven’t been hanging out?”

Trini pushes past Kim and runs. Sometimes she hates how easy it is to run.

* * *

 

She keeps running until she’s deep into the quarry, near the edge of a cliff. The Rangers don’t come to this area, the ship is on the other side of the property. Trini climbs into the large oak settled on the edge of the cliff.

Trini found the tree a month after she moved. She treks up most evenings. The walk has become a lot easier since she got her Ranger powers.

She sits on a low hanging branch that extends over the edge of the cliff. The sun is setting, and Trini can’t take her eyes off the colors that spread through the sky. Her eyes aren’t drawn to the fiery reds and deep oranges, though. She’s stuck staring at the muted yellows and pinks high above the horizon. She hates how well they go together.

Nothing’s ever easy. She was used to being the new girl, used to moving around every year. She was lonely, sure, but she was protected. Then she met four idiots and she loves all of them. Can’t bring herself to draw back fully from any of them. Not even Kim. Especially not Kim.

Anger and pain flash through her mental link, almost startling her off the branch. _Kimberly._

She leaps down and starts sprinting, racing across the quarry. She’s the closest one to Kimberly’s house. She hopes she can get there before whatever is happening to Kimberly seriously hurts her.

She hears muttering all around her, realizes she’s whispering prayers in Spanish. She hasn’t prayed in a while, but she figures this is a good time to start.

She reaches Kimberly’s house and bursts through the front door. Sees Chad and Kimberly facing off. Sees a fading red mark on the apple of Kim’s cheek.

She doesn’t remember much after that.

* * *

 

Chad comes to school with his right leg broken in three places and two black eyes amidst a myriad of other bruises.

He can’t play hockey anymore.

He runs (hobbles) when he sees Trini in the halls. Trini ignores the satisfying feeling that leaves in her chest.

Trini’s suspended from training for two weeks. Jason cites the “rules” and “civilian safety” as his reasons for doing so. Trini cites the fact that the bastard is still alive as the reason she _shouldn’t_ be punished.

Jason also stops by Trini’s house that night. He tackles her onto the bed, hugging her tightly. “Thank you,” he whispers into her hair. “Thank you for keeping our girl safe.”

Trini pushes him off and makes a sarcastic comment, but his face as he ducks out her window tells her he understands her vulnerability.

Kim doesn’t visit.

* * *

 

Zack and Billy have taken to coming over to her house after training. Her mother is completely thrilled that two “Handsome and polite young men” want to hang out with Trini, even if “they look like they’re in some sort of, _cómo se dice anillo de lucha”._

Zack laughs for about five minutes when he finds out her mom thinks he’s part of a fight club.

Billy laughs at the fact that Trini’s mom thinks Zack’s _polite._

She and Billy start tutoring Zack in English and Chemistry, respectively. Zack teaches them “cool” things, like which exits at school are best for sneaking in and out of and how to get to the roof without setting off any alarms.

Billy is very distressed by the knowledge. Trini will never admit that she uses Zack’s advice when everything gets a little too much.

The boys avoid talking about Kimberly except to tell Trini that she’s been mopey. Trini pretends the thought of Kim being upset doesn’t make her heart twist. Pretends that she can’t feel Kim’s emotions all on her own (even if they’re too complicated for even _Trini_ to figure out).

* * *

 

Trini starts to wonder if she did the right thing. If beating Chad to a pulp was the appropriate reaction.

Maybe Kim is mad at her.

Maybe it wasn’t what it looked like.

But Kim had been _scared_ and in _pain._ And Trini may not be able to read everyone’s emotions, but she knows anger when she sees it. She experiences it enough at home, and Chad had been _furious._

So, Trini knows she did the right thing. She’s just not sure Kim knows that. She wishes Kim would visit, text, or for fuck’s sake _look_ at her. (She’s not sure the last time they glanced at each other in biology.)

* * *

 

Two days before her exile from the Pit ends, Kim finally visits. She drags herself through Trini’s window while she’s working on an English assignment (again. What is with people visiting her when she’s trying to pass Thompson’s fucking class).

“Look what the pterodactyl dragged in,” Trini snarks. “Long time no see, Princess.”

Trini feels indignation lance through the link. Kim bristles before nodding. “I guess I deserved that,” she says quietly.

“Did you need something?” Trini doesn’t mean to be so blunt, so cold, but it’s been almost two weeks since she’s been alone with Kim.

Kim blinks at her for a second. “Um, no. I just - I guess I wanted to see how you were?”

“Doin’ fine, Kim,” Trini turns towards her fully. “How have you been?”

Kim won’t meet her eyes. Trini doesn’t exactly know what to make of her behavior. “I’ve been good. I’ve - um - I’ve missed sparring with you at training.”

“You don’t have to wait too much longer, Princess. I’ll be back to kicking your ass by Friday.”

And Kim finally meets her eyes and there’s a tentative smile on her face. And Trini pushes down the gasp that rises in her throat. And Kim asks, “Wanna go to Krispy Kreme?”

And _you buy her Krispy Kreme whenever she wants even though you hate that place._

And, “Yeah, sure.”

It feels like a truce, tentative and a little melancholy, but a move in the right direction. Not a step, not yet, but a shift towards healing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This picks up right after last chapter. the girls finally get their shit together, but not before a little more suffering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i meant for this to be in Kim's POV, but Trini wouldn't let me rest. I might do a Kim chapter where we get to see more development of Kim's feelings 
> 
> All of y'all's comments were so nice!! They definitely helped me stay motivated when writing this chapter

The conversation is stilted, as though they haven’t gone to Krispy Kreme hundreds of times before. A donut sits between them, barely touched. Trini stares into her cup, the cream in her coffee swirling into galaxies under her gaze.

“Trini?”

She can’t help how fast she looks up. Kim’s watching her, brown eyes deep and sad.

“I’m sorry I didn’t visit you. I’m not even sure why I didn’t. You –” Kim takes a deep breath, running a hand through her hair. “You _defended_ me and I just. I-I left you. I fucking ignored you.”

She rests her hands on the table, pressing down to ground herself as she closes her eyes. The table creaks. Trini reaches over, carefully places her hand over one of Kim’s. Some of the tension drains from her shoulders, but her eyes stay closed.

“Kim, it’s okay,” Kim’s eyes snap open, shiny with tears even as she gives Trini an incredulous look. “Okay. So it’s not alright. But you’ll – you’ll make it up to me.”

Kim nods and threads their fingers together. (And _no,_ Trini’s heart did not skip a beat, thank you very much.)

“Obviously,” she smiles down at their hands.

The conversation comes easier after that. They catch up on each other’s lives. Kim tells Trini about the shenanigans the boys get into during training.

They hold hands throughout the whole thing. Trini tries not to read into it.

* * *

It’s a week after Trini returns to training that Jason allows her and Kim to spar together. (A week wasn’t long enough. Jason couldn’t have known how it would turn out - Trini barely knew where the aggression came from. They were on each other like rabid dogs, their fight taking them from one end of the Pit to the other.)

Trini goes flying as Kim’s foot connects with her chest. She skids against the dusty ground, leaping up as Kim charges again. (Trini feels Kim’s emotions – a buzz clouding her mind. There’s anger there, hurt, and _something_ Trini can’t figure out.) Kim kicks again and Trini spins away. As she turns back, she lashes out, the back of her knuckles cracking against Kim’s cheek. She follows through with a solid hit with her other hand that sends Kim to the ground.

Kim’s anger is fueling her own. Or hers is fueling Kim’s. Trini’s not sure it matters – all that matters is the cycle of fury and pain and Trini just wants it to end.

Behind her visor, her vision swims, tears wetting her cheeks.

Her foot connects with Kim’s ribs. Before Kim can move, Trini punches downward, kneeling as she does. Her fist leaves a small crater beside Kim’s head.

“Stay down, sweetheart,” And maybe Trini shouldn’t have used Chad’s nickname for Kim, but it’s too late now and Trini’s already standing.

It’s silent in the Pit as she runs.

She can feel the moment Kim breaks.

* * *

It’s two days before she faces any of the Rangers.

Her window opens, but it’s not Jason climbing in like she expected. It’s Zack. She stares up at him from where she’s buried under her covers. He doesn’t cross the room to join her like he usually does. He leans against the window sill and just stares at her. (She’s not sure she’s ever seen Zack be so serious.)

“What the fuck was that the other day, Trini?”

“Uh oh, homeboy’s pulling out the full name.”

“This is not the time. What happened in the Pit? You and Kim were trying to destroy each other, and after you left Kim just completely broke down!”

“We just got a little heated during our fight.”

“Getting ‘heated’ during a fight does not explain you going AWOL or Kim locking herself in a room on the ship for an hour after training.”

Trini winces. She knows Kim had been upset, but didn’t know it was that bad.

“I didn’t” she pauses. “I didn’t know.”

“What did you whisper before you left?”

“I said ‘stay down sweetheart’.”

“Sweetheart. You used the nickname the dude who _hit_ her used to call her?”

She nods. Zack scoffs, starts climbing back out the window. “Apologize,” he says as he drops out of sight.

His disappointment lingers in her mind long after he’s gone.

* * *

This time it’s her sneaking through a window. Or trying to. It’s closed and – she tests it – locked. Kim’s inside, Trini can feel her, the bond always stronger when they’re close.

Kim doesn’t lock her windows. Maybe she doesn’t want to see anyone. Trini can do this later. When she’s had more time to prepare and...well, more time to freak out.

She thinks of Zack’s face in the dark, of his quiet ‘apologize’ as he dropped to the ground.

She knocks on the window.

Kim’s there almost instantly, her face a careful mask. Jason’s the only one who really knows the extent of Trini’s connection to the morph bond. She wishes she had told Kimberly, just so she wouldn’t hide, would let the roiling hurt Trini can feel show on her face.

Trini knows (because she _knows_ Kim) that she’s considering not opening the window. She does though, and soon Trini’s tumbling over the sill.

“Did you need something?” Trini winces at her words from Kim’s visit being thrown back at her. She wonders if this is how Kim felt then. Small and mostly useless.

She stays at the window like Zack did for her. “I was out of line Tuesday. _Way_ out of line. I-I’m not actually sure what came over me. Not,” Trini waves her hands as though banishing the thought. “Not that that’s an excuse. Cause I was a shitty person and a shitty friend. So. I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

Trini waits. Waits for Kim to say something. When she doesn’t, Trini nods and falls backwards from the window, flipping midair to land in a crouch.

She doesn’t cry on the way home. She doesn’t cry as she grabs her bag and runs back to the quarry. She doesn’t cry until she’s kneeling in front of the morphing grid, throwing her coin across the room, hating herself every time it comes back.

* * *

“What happened with Stephen?”

They’re sitting in Trini’s room, Kim at the desk messing with Trini’s succulents as Trini sat on her bed. The question surprises both of them, Trini not meaning to ever (ever ever) ask the question that had been plaguing her for the past month.

They haven’t had a deep conversation in a while. They’ve been hanging out, slowly rebuilding the trust they both worked to destroy. It’s a process and Trini never wanted to start with _that_ question.

“What-” Kim clears her throat. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean, Kim.”

“ _No._ I don’t.”

_Go big or go home,_ she thinks. (Honestly, she’d rather just go home at this point. Confrontation has never been her strong suit. But she is home, and she’s not about to kick Kim out.)

“Fine,” Trini throws her hands up. “You want me to spell it out? Why the fuck did I run into you house to find that your fucking boyfriend had hit you?”

“Why were you being distant with me for weeks before that?”

“You cannot answer my question with another question. That’s not fair.”

“Maybe we can both answer each other’s question. Call it even.”

Trini considers it. Can she twist her jealousy of Chad, her need to be _with_ Kim into something friendly?

“Fine. But you’re going first. Cause I asked you first.”

“Alright you big baby.” Kim moves to sit next to her, stealing a pillow to prop herself up.

“It started after our, um, confrontation in the hall. I’m not too in-tune with the morphing bond, you know? I can feel general impressions of strong emotions, just enough that I can tell if anyone is in trouble.

“That moment when you pushed by me, all I could feel was _hurt_. Your hurt. And it scared me. How strong it was, how much resentment I could feel mixed up in it.

“I was supposed to meet Stephen and some of his friends at that Italian place on 5th, but I went home instead. I thought about how little time I’d been spending with you, all of you. Stephen had been insisting I spend more time with him and his friends over spending time with you guys. He-he didn’t like that we were all friends, not that I could tell that at first. I realized you were right. I hadn’t been making a proper effort in being with you guys. To being a Ranger. I was letting Stephen control my decisions.

“He came over later and started yelling at me, saying he expected me to be with him when he needed me and stuff. And I told him off? I guess? I just told him that I was going to spend more time with you guys instead of with him. He got angry and started rambling and suddenly, he was hitting me. And then you came, a tiny, angry avenging angel. I’ve never seen you look so terrifying.”

Kim giggles, the sound weak and broken. Trini throws herself into Kim’s arms, wrapping herself around her and rolling so she’s cradling Kim. The giggle turns into a sob, as Trini knew it would. She runs her fingers through Kim’s hair, whispering reassurances until she calms.

“I didn’t know he’d do that,” Kim says as she sits up.

“You couldn’t have known, Kim.”

Kim’s rubbing at her eyes, getting rid of stray tears. Trini moves her hands away, gently brushes the rest of the moisture away. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know. I just-” she clears her throat. “What about you? Why were you pulling away from me?”

Trini shrugs. “You’re my best friend, Kim. I’m used to constantly being around you. It was a weird sensation, having to share you with someone who wasn’t a Ranger. I guess I just didn’t know how to deal with it.”

Kim looks at her like she knows that’s not the whole story, but she lets it go.

* * *

“Okay, gang!” Jason calls. Zack snickers and whispers ‘ruh roh, Raggy’ as they move towards Jason. “Today we’re gonna be increasing putty difficulty so we’re training in our armor. Billy and Kim, you’ll be training first.”

Trini calls to her armor, freezing when the yellow material flickers around her before disappearing. She looks up. No one’s noticed. Billy and Kim are moving towards the Pit. Taking a deep breath, Trini summons her armor again. It sticks this time and Trini clasps her hands behind her back to hide how they shake.

She gets knocked on her ass more times than she has since those first eleven days.

* * *

Jason joins her on the bleachers one day during her free period.

“Wow, Captain, it’s rare to see you skipping class.”

“You should talk to Kim,” he says.

“What do you mean? I talk to Kim all the time.” (Trini will be willfully ignorant for as long as possible. Especially when it comes to Kim.)

“You need to tell her about your feelings, Big T. This is getting ridiculous.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m handling it.”

“I saw you struggling to morph on Tuesday.”

Trini sighs. _Shit._ “Fine. I-I’ll talk to her or whatever.”

“Good. You have until next week.”

“What? What if I don’t tell her by then?”

Jason stands, swinging his backpack onto his shoulder. The sun is directly behind him, casting his face into shadow. It makes his next words more sinister.

“Wait to find out.”

He walks away. Trini whispers, “Dramatic ho,” as he reaches the bottom of the bleachers.

“I heard that!” He calls back to her.

* * *

Kim asked her to a movie. It was vague and Kim seemed awkward, so Trini’s not sure if it’s going to a movie or _going to a movie._

Kim’s behavior during the movie does nothing to help her figure it out. She’s touchy like she was before everything went down, but it’s _heavier._ There’s something deliberate about her movements, about the way she buys Trini’s Junior Mints with an arm around her shoulder and holds Trini’s hand for part of the movie.

Trini’s not sure what happens during the movie, barely notices that it’s over.

Kim takes her for froyo after (something Trini loves and Kim hates) and she can’t help but think it’s a date. But Kim acts normal when she drops her at home, simply smiling at her and wishing her a good night as Trini climbs from the car.

Trini can’t even get a good read on Kim’s emotions, contentment mixing with excitement in the back of her brain.

* * *

She misses the week deadline Jason set. Nothing happens.

She thinks Jason forgot, but the turmoil in her head is punishment enough.

* * *

Things go back to normal. Or almost normal.  As normal as it can be when Kim’s acting like a weirdo.

Trini doesn’t really understand what’s happening.

Doesn’t want to hope that what’s happening is what she _thinks_ is happening.

Kim is flirting with her. There's no other explanation, except that Kim's not into her. Maybe this is an aspect of friendship she's never experienced before.

She resolves to spend less time alone with Kim until she can figure it out.

* * *

“What’s wrong, Trini? Just talk to me!”

It’s almost like the first time they really met. Trini had jumped over a ravine that time, and that’s not looking like the worst option at this point. Trini can tell Kim’s actually angry. This might be her one chance to tell Kim how she feels.

She looks away from Kim’s intense stare, glances behind her. No ravine has appeared in the last thirty seconds, and Trini sighs.

“It’s nothing, Kim. Just leave it,” Trini sounds resigned.

“I can’t just leave it. You’ve been off since we went to yoga!” Now that had been a special kind of torture. Trini loves yoga, but watching Kim do yoga is something she never wants to do again. (She wants to do it over and over again.) “Just tell me what’s wrong,” Kim pleads.

“I can’t,” Trini’s voice breaks and she really _can’t_ because all that would come out is _I’m in love with you_ and _I feel like you like me too_ and _I’m scared._

“Please, Trini,” It comes out as a whisper.

“Can’t you tell?” Trini knows she hasn’t been subtle, knows that everyone has picked up on her feelings, except apparently for the person who matters.

Kim steps closer, raising a hand to brush Trini’s shoulder. She moves slowly like she’s expecting Trini to run. But Trini’s tired of running, tired of being hurt.

The hand settles on her shoulder before moving to her neck where it rests on the scars Rita left – the only scars her Ranger healing didn’t fix.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” So Kim _had_ figured it out.

They’re close. Too close. Trini can’t keep her eyes from mapping Kim’s face, from her sharp jaw line and soft lips to clear eyes under a furrowed brow.

“I’m scared,” Kim’s hand flexes at the admission, her thumb brushing Trini’s collarbone.

“You don’t have to be,” The reply is murmured inches from her face. Kim’s warm breath hits her face and they’re kissing. She’s kissing Kim. She’s grasping at Kim’s shirt and Kim’s cupping her face. And Trini really can’t believe it.

Her heart is racing but all she feels is calm. They separate. Trini meets Kim’s searching gaze. “What if that wasn’t what I was hiding?”

“You’re an ass,” Kim says, leaning in once more.

* * *

“You should bring your friends over for dinner this Friday, _mija,_ your mother and I would love to meet them.“

Trini, who had just taken a very large bite of chicken and rice, choked. “You want to meet my friends?”

“We just want to see who you’ve been hanging out with. We’ve met Zack and Billy, but you also talk about two others who we haven’t met yet,” her mother replies.

Trini hadn’t realized she had talked about her friends enough for her parents to notice. “Uh, sure. I’ll ask them if they’re free.”

She’s not sure the last time her parents took an interest in her life without it turning into a screaming match (or a drug test).

* * *

 

Trini’s a mess. All the Rangers had agreed to come for dinner. Her mother’s been in a mood all day trying to get everything ready. (Trini’s not sure why she’s trying so hard for teenagers who eat mainly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.)

The chime of her phone snaps Trini out of her awed staring at her mother as the woman slips a pan into the oven while onions sizzle on the stove. It’s Kim.

‘ **Jason and I are otw :)** ’ the text reads.

**‘See u soon** ’ she replies.

“Trinity! Come in here and help me with the lentils!”

“Okay, Mom. Coming.”

Her mom sets her to chopping the garlic and cilantro. “Kim and Jason are on their way. They should be here in ten minutes or so.”

“These are the ones we haven’t met, right?” Trini grunts an affirmation. “Are they dating?”

“No, Mom,” Trini sighs. “Jason’s, um, Jason’s dating Zack.”

“Oh.”

They don’t speak again until Kim and Jason arrive.

First meetings go...as well as can be hoped. Her mom is a bit stiff, but she doesn’t make any snide comments. (Trini counts this as a win.) The two Rangers are on their best behavior. Jason, dressed in a bright red polo shirt, calls Trini’s parents ma’am and sir and Trini can see her mom melting at his manners. Kim’s in a yellow sundress with light pink flowers on it that sends Trini’s heart racing. She’s sweet and quiet in a I-make-out-with-your-daughter-and-don’t-want-you-to-know kind of way. Trini doesn’t think her parents notice.

Trini and her mom retreat into the kitchen once introductions are done to finish the food. Trini’s tense until she hears her father’s laugh echo through the house, Jason and Kim’s laughter following behind it – softer but no less genuine.

“I like them, Trini,” her mother says. “They are very nice. Especially Jason. Kimberly seems a bit stiff.”

Trini snorts. “Jason’s a suck up and Kim’s just nervous.”

Her mother laughs and it feels _normal._

“You’re sure they’re not dating?”

And it’s ruined.

Billy and Zack arrive not too long after Jason and Kim. The noise swelling from the living room makes Trini feel warm and happy. It helps that she can tell the Rangers feel the same way.

Kim sweeps into the kitchen as they are pulling the empanadas from the oven. She looks panicked, and Trini’s confused. She doesn’t feel panicked, she’s happy and mischievous and just a little-

_Oh no._

“Trini! Oh my god, I need your help!” Honestly if Trini didn’t know she was faking, she’d believe something was actually wrong.  

Her mother jumps, looking Kim up and down like she does when she thinks something’s wrong with Alejandro and Diego. “Kimberly, honey, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

It’s nice to know her parental instincts extend to everyone _but_ Trini.

“I’m okay, ma’am, sorry for worrying you. I just was telling a story and snapped my bra strap,” From behind her mother’s back, Trini mouths ‘bra strap?’ at Kim. Kim ignores her. “I just need Trini’s help with, like, fixing it or getting a new one.”

“Of course, Kimberly. Trini, go help your friend out, I’ll finish in here.”

Trini grabs Kim’s wrist and pulls her down the hall towards her room. Once the door closes behind them, Trini turns to ask Kim what she’s thinking. Before she can, Kim is pressing her against the wall next to her door and kissing down her neck.

(They had discovered that the door made too much noise. Trini had to tell her parents she had been checking the doorframe for further damage from the attacks. Which were six months ago. Kim had been banished to the closet while her parents also checked the structural integrity of her door.)

“Kim, baby,” Trini gasps, threading her fingers through silky hair. “R-right here? Now? When we’re about to have dinner with my family? _And_ the boys?”

“No better time than the present,” Kim teases as she finally presses a kiss to Trini’s lips.

Trini’s not a hundred percent sure what happens after. She’s lost in a haze of Kim and kissing and adamantly not thinking about her friends and family fifty feet away. Kim’s almost succeeded in getting Trini’s top off when-

“¿ _Está todo bien? ¿Que es la demora?_ ”

“Oh fuck,” Trini whispers. “ _Sí_ , mom! _Estamos viniendo_!”

“It’s hot when you speak Spanish,” Kim whispers from where she’s kissing towards Trini’s ear.

“I said three words. If we get caught cause you can’t keep your hands to yourself, I’m breaking up with you.”

Kim chuckles in her ear, low and smooth, and steps away to let Trini escape.

Shrugging her top back on, Trini checks her appearance in the full length mirror hanging on the door.

Her mother looks at them strangely when they return to the kitchen, but she doesn’t say anything.

Zack on the other hand wiggles his eyebrows as Kim and Trini sit down next to each other on the couch.

* * *

Her father pulls her aside after the Rangers leave. “You look at her like I look at your mother,” he says, and suddenly Trini’s thirteen again and he's looking at her like he used to, no trace of disappointment in his eyes. “Good choice, _mija_.”

Trini knows that twenty years down the line she’s still going to be _ruined_ for Kim.

It’s okay though.

Kim’s going to be just as ruined for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me if you liked this unedited mess lol

**Author's Note:**

> Idk if I'm gonna continue this...I might do a short second chapter where Kim figures her shit out 
> 
> tell me if i should continue
> 
> (And i promise I'll finish These Kids Aren't Alright, it's just taking a little while)


End file.
